Going from dual income with no children to single income with two children can be a mind-blowing experience. What the hell did we spend all that money on?
I'm here to spout a few easy tips to make staying at home more cost-effective. Don't get me wrong, I'm broke. But I have figured out how to spend every waking moment with my children (yes, it's as bad as it sounds) and not submerse our home in irrecoverable debt. These are some easy things that everyone can do, whether you are a stay-at-home slave or not.
At the store:
The easiest thing...use coupons, duh! I find myself blocking aisles in the grocery store while I thumb through my binder-clipped strips of printed money. Yes, that's right, they ARE money. If you combine your coupon with a sale deal, you win twice! (It's not rocket science people.) When you sign up for your value card, you give your address. And, creepy as it may be, the store mails you coupons specific to what you buy. (They're the only ones who know how bad our coffee addiction really is.) Our grocery store's website also offers digital coupons that are loaded onto your value card; when you buy the item the coupon is automatically used.
City Market (Shitty Mark-up) knows how much they suck at this, so they give you the item for free if it rings up wrong. Unfortunately, if you bought several things that rang up wrong you only get the first one free, and then they just reimburse you the difference. I'd say every other week something is wrong on my receipt. All this takes is simple observation.
When you have a tiny bit of capital....if something you frequently use is on sale, buy more than one! (Duh, again.) My pantry is packed with cereal, pasta sauce, spaghetti and olive oil. If the olive oil is half off, shit, buy 5. Don't forget the family pet either. Our dogs' food was buy 2 bags, get 1 free. I bought 6. Two FREE bags, that's a $100 bucks in free dog food!
At the pump:
Most grocery stores now have a gas pump. City Market is giving one point for every dollar spent in their stores each month; 1000 points adds up to $1 off gas. Not bad if you spend $1000 on groceries each month. We usually average $700 to $800, which equals 70 or 80 cents off gas. Wait till the tank is empty to use those points! (Every other time I fill up, I go to a locally-owned pump. Can't kill the little guy!) And, if you hear on NPR that the price of oil went up, go to the pump if you're out.
At the mall:
Well, we don't have a mall in ol' Gunny. And the two options here I have bad luck with, and can't really afford anyway. The thrift store? Sometimes. (I find they charge entirely too much for some hoochie's Silvers that she wore to the bar, threw up on, then stumbled home in...tripping in the ditch before hitting those stripper boots on the cement path to her bed, which she probably threw up in too.) If you know what fits, and you can't find it locally, search online. Yes, you may strike out a few times, but eventually you'll get it right. (Tip: Don't ebay while intoxicated. It never turns out well.)
Another easy online saving tip is to search for coupons for the site on which you are shopping. I usually find at least a 10% off code for most sites. Some companies are hip to this, and don't offer codes anymore.
And lastly, never buy anything that isn't on sale! (My mother taught me well. Thanks Pam.)
At the butt:
Now that I'm changing diapers again, I'm psyched that I coughed up the money for cloth diapers. I can't imagine spending $20 every week on something I KNOW I WILL BE THROWING AWAY! It pained me every time I threw a dirty diaper in the trash. Luckily that only lasted for two weeks. (That dang umbilical cord just hung on there!) My husband's wallet breathed a sigh of relief when I pulled out the cloth.
A simple diapering pleasure for your baby: cloth wipes. You can make your own or buy pre-made cloth wipes in hemp or fuzzy cotton, and either way you'll save a ton of money. I moisten mine with warm water spiked with a couple drops of tea tree and lavender oil. They smell wonderful and they work much better than pricey disposable wipes, which are treated with who knows what?! We have a wipe warmer to store them in which keeps them the perfect bum-ready temperature.
To save money on cloth diapers, buy seconds! They are typically half the price and often times the blemish is so minor you don't even see it. I mean, come on, your kid is going to crap on it, over and over and over again. Does it really need to be visually perfect?
Amazon Mom Subscribe & Save anyone? An extra 30% off and free two-day shipping, plus you'll send a refill without me reminding you? Don't mind if I do.
At the table:
Another simple thing to loosen the budget belt is buying whole foods and preparing food yourself. My family likes to eat biscuits sometimes, which I haven't actually bought packaged since, oh, college probably. Making biscuits quickly, easily, and much more healthily is super easy! My guess is that a nasty-ass tube of pre-made biscuits would cost around $3. (In the barren wasteland of Gunnison at least.) Make 'em yourself: $1 or less. (Price obviously varies depending on the quality of ingredients. I use all organic ingredients, and it's still super cheap.)
Quick 'n' Easy Biscuits
1 3/4 cups flower
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
4 to 6 tbsp butter
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in medium-sized bowl. Cut in butter with pastry cutter or two knives. Stir in milk. Spoon batter onto baking sheet, roll a little to shape if desired. Bake approximately 15 minutes.
At the homestead: If you have the space, a vegetable garden is a huge way to save and eat organic. I started gardening three years ago. I have had crazy, crack-like gardens each year. (I think it's the llama poop.) We plant potatoes, kale, carrots, broccoli, romaine, spinach, radishes, beets, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash and rainbow chard. A lot of it I was able to freeze this year, so we'll be eating kale, zucchini, squash, and chard all winter. Can't beat that!
And, while you're doing all this saving, you MUST drink wine, right? Buy boxed wine, it is much cheaper and lasts a heck of a lot longer (up to three weeks in the refrigerator). The affordable pinot noir I like, Pinot Evil, is $9 a bottle. But, if you buy it in the box, it's $16 for four bottles! Now that's a deal. There are even organic boxed wines out there too.
These are really simple things to do, which most people probably already enjoy. If not, hopefully one or two things can help out with your budget. If others come to mind, I'll let ya know. And if you have any money-saving tips...shoot 'em my way. I could always use a few extra bucks!
Oh, and one more thing, BREASTFEED. It's free. It's the absolute best thing for your child.
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